Harford to temporarily switch public drinking water sources

The Harford County Department of Public Works' Water and Sewer Division will temporarily switch water sources at the Abingdon Water Treatment Plant from the usual supply originating at Loch Raven Reservoir to the Susquehanna River behind Conowingo Dam.

The switch will occur during the evening of Monday, Nov. 18. DPW will start treating the Susquehanna water through the treatment plant on the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 19.

Once the switch has occurred, some customers may notice a slight difference in the taste. This is because of natural differences in water from one source to another, according to the Harford County Department of Public Works.

Customers will not experience any disruption of service and the water will continue to meet federal and state drinking water standards, DPW said in a news release Thursday.

The reason for the switch is that Baltimore City is testing new pumps, drives and controls at its Deer Creek Pumping station, installed as part of an upgrade to the station. The test will last about a week, after which the water source will gradually transition back to Loch Raven over the following two weeks.

Typically, the Abingdon plant supplies about 70 percent of the total county public water supply ,with the rest coming from the Perryman wellfield and the Susquehanna River at Havre de Grace.

This will be the fifth time DPW has treated Susquehanna River water at the Abingdon plant. The first time was when the plant opened in 1994. Susquehanna River water was used at Abingdon in 1999, 2002, and 2007, each time because of drought conditions.

Citizens with any questions may contact Joel Caudill, deputy director of public works, at 410-638-3159.